ALEX Ribeiro can't wait to see his name next year alongside six other Brazilians on the Surfest men's honour roll hanging on the contest site wall. He just hopes to be a championship tour (CT) surfer again when he returns to Merewether in 2020. Ribeiro took a giant step towards that goal with victory over countryman and CT competitor Jadson Andre on Sunday at Merewether in the Burton Automotive Pro final. The 6000-point qualifying series contest was the 29-year-old's biggest win since claiming a 10,000-point event in 2015, which helped launch him on to the CT. He spent just one year on the elite tour but is now in a great position to push for a top-10 QS finish and a 2020 return. "It's really hard to come back to the tour but I just think about comp by comp," Ribeiro said. "Now I just think about Manly. "My focus is to get back to the tour and I've made a good start here but I still need four good results. "But I'm very, very happy." Brazilians have an outstanding record at Surfest, where beach-break waves like Sunday's are similar to those in their homeland. Goofy-footers Andre and Ribeiro lit up finals day with their aerial wizardry but only one was able to land them consistently in the decider. Andre was chasing an 8.4 with 15 minutes to go in the 35-minute final, but he was unable to ride out of several attempted frontside airs. The closest he came was a 6.6 with seven minutes left. Ribeiro prevailed 15.57 (7.67 and 7.9) to 13.77 (7.17 and 6.6) to join countrymen Yago Dora, Alejo Muniz, Willan Cardoso, Adriano De Souza, Neco Padaratz and Guilherme Herdy on the Mark Richards Trophy. "It's so good to be a part of this team, with all the Brazilian guys," he said. "My name will be there next year so I'm stoked." Andre, also 29, secured his return to CT last year and has already won a 6000-point QS event in Brazil this season to strengthen his position. "I'm really stoked for Alex," Andre said. "He's a guy who's been working really hard to reach his goal and it was a blessed moment for me to be in the final with him." "It's crazy because even before the comp started, I was staying with one of my brothers and I told him, 'dude, I cannot take second place out of my mind. I want to win and I keep my eyes on the first, but somehow it's just second place'. And I got second place, so from now I'll be trying to think about the first only."

"It's so good to be a part of this team, with all the Brazilian guys," he said.

"My name will be there next year so I'm stoked."

Andre, also 29, secured his return to CT last year and has already won a 6000-point QS event in Brazil this season to strengthen his position.

"I'm really stoked for Alex," Andre said.

"He's a guy who's been working really hard to reach his goal and it was a blessed moment for me to be in the final with him."

"It's crazy because even before the comp started, I was staying with one of my brothers and I told him, 'dude, I cannot take second place out of my mind. I want to win and I keep my eyes on the first, but somehow it's just second place'. And I got second place, so from now I'll be trying to think about the first only."